Every day there are more and more Apple fans who buy an iPhone through the Internet and most of them are second-hand devices that previously belong to other people.
However, this is not a very safe option because, if you have bad luck, you can find yourself dealing on the web with a thief who wants to sell you a stolen Apple phone.
Indeed, if it is locked, there is a chance that it can never be unlocked, so you would practically be the victim of a scam by spending money on a device that is completely useless.
In this sense, you fall into a great uncertainty wondering how to know if that mobile is unlocked or blocked.
So in this post, we will tell you how to find out if it is free or if, on the contrary, it is restricted to a single operator.
In addition, you should bear in mind there are several types of iPhone blocking issues, but the most common is the one mentioned above, that is, limited to a single operator.
To confirm that the phone is locked, you can use different steps and methods that are very accurate.
Among which we can verify by checking:
- if it is unlocked through the Settings section.
- the IMEI.
- the SIM card of the cell phone.
If the seller does not want to give you the IMEI, you should be very suspicious, since this code is easy to find, so they are likely hiding something from you.
So, we will show you these methods below.
Steps and methods to find out if my iPhone phone is locked
Check that it is unlocked through the “Settings”
This is the simplest alternative to check if it is unlocked or restricted, based on taking a look at the “Settings” of the cell phone.
In this way, to access this section of the iPhone, what you need is to have access to the phone, which usually asks for a password to activate it immediately.
The steps you must follow are:
- Open Settings in the general menu that shows you the mobile device, it is easy to find, it has an icon with a gear shape.
- Click on the Mobile Data option. There are other alternatives, but this is the one we are interested in this time.
- Then search and go to Options in this window and you will have access to data roaming among other options.
- Then you can check if the Mobile data network option is displayed.
If it is there, the phone is most likely unlocked, as this option is usually not shown on restricted iOS devices, be it iPhone, iPad, etc.
However, we should point out that this alternative is not effective at all, so you should not rely on it alone.
So, we will show you more methods to check and find out if the iPhone is unlocked or locked.
Confirming iPhone Lock by IMEI
It is also necessary to verify if the mobile is locked by IMEI.
Remember, there are several types of locking, but the most common where the iPhone is locked to a single operator
It’s often impossible to get the phone operator lock removed, so it’s essential that you check.
There are three main reasons why an iPhone can be locked by IMEI:
- The first and the most logical one is theft.
- This is followed by the probability of loss, since in this case the loss is reported (which is similar to theft).
- The third possibility is for non-payment by the operator, i.e., for owing bills to the cell phone company with which the phone is associated.
- The phone is on a contract from the operator.
In fact, you only need to have the IMEI of the phone and in this way, you can verify through some websites (such as https://www.imeipro.info/), if it is really blocked or not.
In case you are making an online purchase, it is valuable that you first ask the seller for the IMEI to carry out this process.
Thus avoiding risks and loss of money.
However, you need to remember to check that IMEI when the phone arrives.
Here we show you the steps you must follow to do it, emphasizing that it is a paid method:
- Go to the https://www.imeipro.info/
- Then, once you enter the option that fits your situation, the first step is to insert the IMEI of the smartphone (if you have the mobile at hand, you only have to type *#06# in the phone application and the number will be displayed on the screen).
- Confirm that you are not a robot
- Click the Check button
You will then receive a report very similar to the following:
- IMEI: 01234567890123
- Serial Number: AB123ABCD12
- Model: iPhone 6 16GB WHITE
- Blacklist status*: Clean / Not clean
Check with the SIM card
Another recommended alternative is to check if the iPhone is locked via the SIM card.
To carry out this process we recommend you to have two SIM cards from different carriers.
Normally, one will be the one you use on a daily basis and the other will be the one that comes with the phone.
Now, the steps you need to take in order to put an end to your uncertainty are as follows:
- First of all, make a call with one of the SIM cards inside the device. This is to check if there is a signal where you are.
- Next, turn off the phone and it is essential that you hold down the lock button. To turn it off use the slider or scrollbar.
- Use the SIM card removal tool to eject the SIM card from the phone. In case you do not have it at hand, you can use a paper clip or an earring, as they are quite similar.
- Then insert your new SIM card. Press the unlock button and proceed to power on the device.
- You can now check if it is possible to make a call from the phone with the newly added SIM card.
Now, if it is not possible to connect the call at this point, it means that the phone is not unlocked.
But luckily you have several options to unlock iPhone, either by contacting a phone operator or if you prefer to use specialized software for this, you can also do it that way.
One of the most famous is the DoctorSim.com application.
How to know if an iPhone is iCloud-locked before buying it second hand?
As Apple is aware of the rampant second-hand iPhone market, one of its most potent goals is to suppress the amount of these stolen mobiles being sold globally.
This is why it has designed the activation lock, a feature added to all iOS devices that by nature prevents anyone who doesn’t know the Apple ID associated with the device from activating it.
So, if you buy a phone with the activation lock in place, you will never be able to use it.
Therefore, it is important to be sure that the seller has removed it before processing the purchase.
Apple previously offered its own online tool to check if a cell phone had the activation lock enabled, but it has since been removed.
This has been of much concern to its users, as they do not know any other way to check if an iPhone is restricted.
However, fear not, here we bring you the most effective solution, which is a simple and effective tool with which you just enter the IMEI of the device you want to buy, and in a few minutes, you will know if the mobile has the lock by iCloud activated.
For this, it is valuable that first of all, you do the following:
- Ask the seller to remove your device from iCloud. If he doesn’t know how to do it, explain to him that it is through Settings > General > Reset > Erase contents and settings.
- After that, it will also remove the mobile from find-my-iPhone and remove the activation lock.
- In case the result is positive, i.e. the device does not have the activation lock enabled, buy it without any problem.
Now, if you verify that the phone is locked by iCloud, do the following:
- Get the iPhone’s serial number or IMEI with the information provided by the seller. by following: Settings > General > Info.
- Then go to https://www.imeipro.info/ . It can be from the computer or from an iPhone.
- To find out if you are restricted, enter the phone’s IMEI in the corresponding box.
- Complete the phone check as you would in the Confirming iPhone Lock by IMEI section above.
Keep in mind that an iPhone locked by iCloud can never be activated, so it will be necessary to remove it to ensure it’s 100% operational, and this is only possible if the owner is willing to provide the correct information.
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